Things to Do in Lucca: the Guinigi Tower, the Torre delle Ore, the Cathedral of San Martino and the Walls

Lucca is a city of towers, and the Walls give a bird’s-eye view of them. The Guinigi Tower, crowned with holm oaks, and the Torre delle Ore are the first two climbs. The Cathedral of St. Martin and its bell tower come next, and the Botanical Garden is a calmer stop in between.

At a glance

• Top sights to see first: Guinigi Tower, Torre delle Ore, Cathedral of San Martino
• Steps to climb: Guinigi Tower 230, Cathedral bell tower 217, Torre delle Ore 207
• Combined entry: Lucca Visit Card, covering 11 museums and monuments
• Next comes the Christmas season in Lucca, November 21 to January 6.

What are the best things to do in Lucca?

The Guinigi Tower

The Guinigi Tower is easy to spot from a distance because of the holm oaks growing at its top. It and the Torre delle Ore are the only fully preserved examples of the noble towers that once crowded the center of Lucca in the Middle Ages.

The climb is 230 steps, so it’s a tower for people happy to take stairs. The Guinigi Tower is on the Lucca Visit Card, which also covers the Torre delle Ore and the Basilica and Bell Tower of San Frediano complex. A card makes sense if you plan to climb more than one.

The Torre delle Ore

The Torre delle Ore has been the city’s civic tower since the 14th century. Its clock mechanism was made in 1752 by Louis Simon of Geneva. Two years later a new dial arrived, the work of Lucca clockmaker Sigismondo Caturegli, along with three new bells cast by Stefano Filippi.

It has 207 steps, fewer than the Guinigi Tower. That makes it the lighter climb of the two if you only want one tower on a short visit. The Visit Card includes it.

The Cathedral of St. Martin and its bell tower

The Cathedral was founded in the 6th century and rebuilt in the 8th century on the site of the ancient church of San Giovanni and Santa Reparata. Its bell tower is 197 feet (60 meters) high and has seven bells. Guelph battlements crown the top.

The bell tower has 217 steps.

San Frediano and San Michele

The bell tower of the Basilica of San Frediano is the most recent to open to visitors. The bell tower of the church on the ancient Roman forum opened on September 29, 2026, the feast of Saint Michael. The Basilica of San Michele has origins in the 11th century, and its bell tower is first documented in 1170. One of its bells was cast in 1215, three more in 1258 and another in 1273.

The San Frediano complex is on the Lucca Visit Card. With the newly opened tower, Lucca now has several bell towers open to climb, so you can pick by taste and legs rather than see them all.

The Walls of Lucca

A stroll along the Walls is a good start for a bird’s-eye view of the city. From up there the towers are easier to tell apart, which helps you choose which to climb.

Walking the Walls is a good first move on arrival, before any ticket is bought. Piazza Napoleone and the historic walls also host the Lucca Summer Festival in June and July.

The Botanical Garden

At the Botanical Garden you can admire the abundant flowering of camellias, both ancient Lucchese cultivars and numerous species and selections. It’s a green pause between the stone sights.

The Botanical Garden is on the Lucca Visit Card. Visit when the camellias are in flower for the best of it.

Lucca Trek South

Lucca Trek covers 13 itineraries across the south-west of the Lucca territory. They include the Oltreserchio, the road of the aqueducts, Monte Pisano, castles and fortifications, the Puccini river park and cycle and pedestrian path, the Via Francigena and its southern variant, the Cammino di Santa Giulia and the Cammino di San Jacopo. The Monte Pisano range closes the Lucca Plain to the south.

Trails pass Romanesque churches, hidden springs, small village museums and ancient woods, with panoramic views. Lucca Trek spreads visitors among the villages. Skip it if you only have a few hours in town, since these are walks across the countryside.

When is the best time to visit Lucca for sightseeing?

Spring warms steadily, with highs of 65°F (18°C) in April and 73°F (23°C) in May. April brings 8 rainy days, so carry a light rain layer. May has slightly fewer wet days and suits long stretches on the Walls and the tower stairs.

Day trips from Lucca

It’s titled ‘POV: 2 towers and 3 bell towers, actually 4’.

What to eat in Lucca

Lucca Gustosa brings markets and tastings to the historic center, with Piazza Anfiteatro and the loggiato of Palazzo Pretorio among its venues. Under that loggiato you can taste local products and village festivals are held there too. Piazza Napoleone hosts the Confartigianato and Coldiretti markets, Piazza San Martino hosts Il Gusto dell’Italia in piazza, and Piazza San Frediano hosts the Festival delle tradizioni italiane.

The Mercato Contadino is held at the Foro Boario. For a sit-down meal, the Sunday dinner with seven Slow Food osterie takes place at the IMT Alti Studi Lucca, in the Complesso di San Francesco.

Things to do in Lucca at night

Lucca Comics & Games fills the historic center through November 1, having started October 28. The Christmas season follows from November 21 to January 6, with light shows, nativity scenes, markets, concerts and an ice rink.

Summer evenings belong to the Lucca Summer Festival, held in June and July on Piazza Napoleone and the historic walls. In March, Lucca Gustosa and Lucca Olive Oil take over the historic center for a weekend of markets and tastings.

Things to do in Lucca with kids

The Walls are the easy family outing, a walk with a view that children can do at their own pace. The Botanical Garden suits a slower hour, with its camellias in flower. The Torre delle Ore, at 207 steps, is the shorter of the tower climbs for small legs.